A blessing and a curse~

I have very mixed feelings about smartphones.

On the one hand, I love how certain things do become easier - such as being able to check public transport on the go, have things automatized - taking pictures even! 

The same time, I oftentimes feel like they end up creating even more work, more things to do, check, set and keep track of. And it pains me when I see everybody fiddling about with their phones on public transport.

Sometimes, it is just too tempting to get something done on the spot, even if it is something random like ordering a nifty cat toy online.

Today, my battery died a few seconds after leaving the house, so I got to have some involuntary phone-free time. To me personally, this it is not a big deal - but I know that for some people, being without a phone, even for the short span of a couple of hours, is already stressful.

Why is that? 

What are we missing out on?
Putting the one case where an urgent call is awaited aside (I mean how often does that really happen when a phone runs out of juice), why is the thought of being without one of those things so irritating?

My guess, is that most people don't know what to do with themselves if all of a sudden browsing through social media/internet or chatting is not an option anymore.
I notice it sometimes in conversations that, not long after there is a short moment of silence, somebody takes their phone out and starts checking notifications.

Staying so connected at all times, that we start living more in the virtual surroundings of others than actually pay attention to what is going on around us. 

I challenge you to keep track of how often you are reaching for your phone for a day or so.
And then assess how often it was actually necessary. 

When you learn to handle silence, you start to live in the moment.

Why not be an earth warrior? | How comfort and laziness are slowly killing the environment~

Sometimes the fact that we live in a time and age where mindlessly creating waste is a common encounter really gets to me. 

This isn't even about things like buying new clothes every season, the endless amount of plastic packagings of our toiletries or food going to waste in the fridge because we forgot about  it.

It is just about items that serve one purpose: being used one time and then thrown away. 

It is in the simple things: out of comfort we make our daily choices, oftentimes not even realizing when this actually means in the big picture: plastic cutlery is chosen over bringing one's own fork and knife from home for lunchtime, wet wipes replace washcloths because it is more convenient, a new plastic bag is purchased for groceries every single time instead of bringing a re-useable one in the first place, sample-packagings being handed out to people in the streets, coffee to go in a one-use mug every morning because who wants to bring a bulky mug int heir bag? - I could go on about this for ever! It truly breaks my heart.

Shockingly, about half of the plastic produced worldwide goes into single use items.

There are so many ways to avoid this kind of garbage, and all it takes is some effort. But sadly for quite many, this is already too much.
Beating our own laziness, getting out of the plastic castle that is our comfort zone and start making a difference! So many people want to be warriors nowadays, why not start out with being an earth warrior?

I am at a point where I am refusing single use items most of the time and getting creative when I don't  or can't (i.e. collecting the plastic bags I at some point got or bought in a drawer to re-use them as a garbage bag or to cover my desk when painting, etc.).

That being said, when I go grocery shopping and for some reason forgot my cotton bag, if I can somehow manage, I will even go as far as to carry my groceries home in my bare arms - it serves as a grand reminder to be more prepared next time.

~*What is an item you think you could go without to create less waste?*~

A little feast for a little cat (and red soup for the redhead)~

Greetings,

My little furball is fiiiinally getting better and because he had been such a poor little bean recently (his ear infection got so bad overnight, that he suffered from balance issued), that I decided to conjure up a special kind of meal for him to get well and strong fast!~

~Roasted chicken hearts with hemp oil and a tad of crème fraiche~

I just love cooking and especially cooking for other people...err....or cats in this case.
That way, I can make sure that what lands on my furball's dish is great quality without nasty additives. It is always important to research a little beforehand, as there are certain foods cats should absolutely not eat (like onions and garlic for example!), but other than that it is not that hard.

Just because I don't eat meat, doesn't mean my cat is going to miss out on it.

I get very angry when I hear people trying to force a vegetarian or vegan diet onto their cats - if you want a herbivore, get a bunny, they are super cute , fluffy and cuddly as well, but don't torment a carnivore.

That being said, I bought a pack of eco chicken hearts from a farm and prepared the meat (with a cat watching and licking his little lips already) by cutting them into even pieces.

After frying them with only a little oil and long enough to make sure they are evenly cooked, it was time to chop them up. My cat doesn't mind rough but mouth sized pieces, he is as much into rustic food as myself it seems~

Garnishing the dish by mixing in just a little storebough catfood that is super rich in vitamins, as well as some hemp oil and finishing off with a wee bit of crème fraiche.

 "Give it to me, I'm not gonna share"

For some reason the Ginnicat has the habit to always eat with his paws when I serve slices of meat - he just knows it is an elegant occasion.

I also made some very quick tomato soup, because I myself am still sick, but the recipe is so simple, I will list the ingredients for you very quick:

-Passata / cooked and pureed tomatoes

-1 cup vegetable broth

- salt and pepper

-as much garlic as you can handle/enjoy (I am not a measure)

-oregano

-lovage

-(crème fraiche; if you want a cream soup)

Just throw it all in a cauldron (yes, laughing hysterically like a mad witch as you go, you know the drill~) and let it boil and simmer for a while. adding in spices and water until your tastebuds are in awe~

~*Have you guys ever cooked for your pets before?*~

How an Elf avoids a starting cold~

Greetings dear readers,

It is the season for colds, cough and sore throats again, so your Elf has decided to share some of her favourite home remedies to defeat a cold before it breaks out. Maybe, because she has just once again managed to get hold of something that has tried messing with her immunity. *flex*

I personally am not the greatest fan of reaching for medication as a first resort (in fact, I tend to avoid it as much as possible and merely use it as a backup plan) - I prefer to treat the cause and not just the symptom. 

Know the little warning signs and stages:

Is there anything you notice that happens every time before you are getting sick? Most of the time there are small stages that occur the more the cold proceeds.
For me the first warning sign is always feeling cold for no reason (and especially getting ridiculously cold feet), and then, if I don't immediately take care of myself and/or be weak of immune system at the moment, followed by the Apocalyptic riders of the Flu: Sore throat, cough, runny nose, headache, etc.

This is where you have to start working it - and the earlier, the better. Most colds I dodge by putting on very warm clothes, sometimes a scarf - but most importantly: immediately drinking a hot cup of tea followed by many more.
I will leave my special tea remedies at the end of this post if you are interested.

Fresh air and a good mixture of rest and movement
Determining whether you are still in the beginning stage where some minor activity can help you defeat the cold (tidying in the house, short walk with a veeery warm coat and hat...) or if you already feel as though you need some rest. 

Tea.

Tea is a lot more powerful than some people want to believe. Especially in the early stages it does not matter much what kind of tea you are indulging in, as long as you are drinking enough and keeping your body warm inside out. 

My basic tea remedy for the colder months

- 3+ slices of fresh ginger

- Roiboos tea

- one small cinnamon stick

- some honey

This tea does wonders in getting you warm again and depending on what other symptoms I might be having, I add in different ingredients to make my brew even more helpful:

-Sore throat/cough: no cinnamon, exchanging roiboos for Ginseng/Echinacea/Sage/Thyme/Rosemary (one or as many of them as I can get my hands on)

-General sick feeling without fever: Ginger + honey + lemon (+green tea)

-Feeling nauseous: Pure Ginger tea

Bonus: I also love incorporating herbs like thyms, sage and rosemary into my cooking, as well as adding loads of garlic~

Sage and honey have desinfective properties, ginger, echinacea and ginseng are a boost for your immune system and rosemary and thyme are especially good for anything throat related. The cinnamon and Roiboos tea help warming you up from the inside, but I personally find cinnamon to harsh on a sore throat/cough so I use it more in the early stages or as a general autumn/winter drink to stay warm and cozy.~

~*Do you have any favourite ways to beat a cold that is trying to break out?*~

A busy week and something to indulge in~

As I'm getting ready for this weekend's LARP event (Paladins on tour thehe), sipping on one of my brews from my cauldron (this one is vibrant and yellow and oh so delicious and warming), I'm also taking some time to compose a blogpost. 

I've said in the past that I was going to get back into it more again and I mean it.

Yesterday has been a very intense picture-editing day, but I won't yet reveal what it is for; it shall be a bit of a surprise thehe. 

My computer had definitely decided to declare war on me, as it keeps randomly shutting down and restarting at random. I kind of suspect the power cable or unit, but I will have a closer look on it this week. 

Also my cat has been temporarily freed from his cone, but he is being watched for signs of ear-scratching, as the core cause yet remains. It is very good to see him lively and happy again though, and after a 2 hour cleaning session (he was slaying it), he kept chasing one of his toys around the house like a wee kitten. 

I also turned one of my glowing Silmarils into a nifty new (and hopefully more sturdy!) light for my Paladin, I will let you know if it survived the weekend and dangling from my belt as I charge into the hoards of the blight. 

Now I'm running around in my house like a crazy moose trying to gather everything I need and remember what I yet have to pack - Elfears: packed, fakeblood: packed, blood capsules: possibly at my man's already but let's check, ingame prayer book: definitely at my man's place, belt number 4: ooooh where are you? 

My makeup case is stuffed with everything I could possibly need to create nasty sfx wounds if needed, quite average for the warrior *nods*

But lastly I will share the recipe for one of my favourite nomsy (and healthy!) drinks to keep you warm during the cold months!

☽◯☾

Ingredients:

Milk of choice

tumeric powder

honey

cinnamon (I like using the sticks, but for this recipe we assume you are using the powdererd kind)

optional: spices of your choosing! I love gingerbread mixes and ginger)

~

Measure your milk and gently heat on the stove in your cauldron. 

Stir in 1 small teaspoon of tumeric powder (per mug you are making), as much cinnamon as you enjoy, honey to taste and go wild with your other spices

I recommend to approach it like a crazy witch "A wee bit from this and a dash from that!"

Whisk it up to make sure the spices are blended in, then fill your mug and indulge in this yellow spiciness!~

New design and a loss of pictures~

The crisp autumn air, twirling leaves and gnarly trees have been so inspiring!
It was about time to give my blog a wee upgrade, what do you think? *winks*

The new banner picture was taken by by Zem, when we did our photoshoot for Windalf

I also - much to my dismay - noticed that almost all pictures I have ever posted are gone, thanks to photobucket making their services private and thus an huuuuuuge editing-feast (......not) is ahead of me to re-upload every image to a new location and then re-link them to my posts. *takes deep breath* GAH.
Apologies for this inconvenience, I will try sort it out as soon as I can motivate myself (and take the time) to get on with this task. Mabye I'll watch some Outlander as I go, it should shorten the time working at least a tad.
The next days will be stuffed with editing things here and there anyways; so many ongoing projects!

Nifty piece of Viking bling for my little furmonster

I also created a gorgeous Mjölnir collar for my cat, who still is stuck with this nasty cone. Thought that some heathen power never hurts. *flexes*

Cutting your fingers off with half-swording

A while ago I uploaded a little sword practise video with some fancy video game moves and what people got upset about were not the super unrealistic Witcher-inspired pirouetting strikes, but me grabbing the blade and striking with the crossguard.

"You cannot hold a sword like that"
"You would cut your fingers off if you did that in reality"

Half-swording against Mordhau

Actually, this move is called a Mordhau, or "murder strike" in English and is a legit and very handy way to use a sword - here is why.
Swords are far more versatile than most people know. We are so used to seeing them just to be for hitting and stabbing (and for fancy moves that might look cool but are far from being efficient), that something like half-swording, where you grab your blade with either one or both hands, looks just downright wrong - but its not:
If you are facing an opponent in full steel plate, you can forget about hitting and thrusting with your sword - it is not going to do much (that's what armour is for) - you need more force to penetrate the armour at the weak parts.

Like this.

You can do that by either supporting the blade with one hand and then thrusting the tip into the weak parts of the armour, or by turning your weapon around and hitting with the crossguard or pommel like you would with a mace or hammer (which are pretty good at penetrating armour).

The art of war is about being inventive and adaptive and there is a reason the sword was amongst the more popular weapons - would you rather bring a basic-, or a utility knife when going out camping?


But its going to cut your fingers off
I think this comes mainly from people who have never held a real sword.
Understand, that a longsword is not a razor - it is sharp, but the edge is not thin enough to cause injury just by holding it very firmly.

You can either wrap your palm around the blade, leaving no pressure on the edge or just go for the full and firm grip - and no one will pull that sword out of your hands -  (besides, they would have to drop their own weapon if they wanted to seriously try which leaves them in grand disadvantage).
Think of a mace - who in the right state of their mind would even want to try catch that mid blow? A fool who is going to get their hands broken I think.

Some swords were even not sharpened the entire length to make half-swording even more comfortable, but even with a sharp blade, you don't really need gloves (I find them making one's grip less efficient).


What is your weapon of choice?~